The Director's Series: Michael Mann, No. 2


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe
Director: Michael Mann
About: Mann has delivered some epics. Many of his epics are modern tales about cops. That has been true of many films on this list, too. But this one is a historical epic based on the story from James Fenimore Cooper. It features an incredible lead performance from Day-Lewis, who has worked with a couple directors on this list. He's great in the lead role. But this is a fierce and tense film. I really like the shots and the sequences here, and it's paired with an incredible score. The whole production really comes together into something fascinating and enjoyable.

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